Land panel readies for new input
The constitutional review committee set up by parliament to help it make a call on expropriation of land has held hearings nationwide and received hundreds of thousands of written representations.
The constitutional review committee set up by parliament to help it make a call on expropriation of land has held hearings nationwide and received hundreds of thousands of written representations.
The push by the ANC and the opposition EFF to amend section 25 of the constitution to make it clear how land should be expropriated without compensation has spooked investors amid growing negative sentiment on emerging markets.
It remains unclear whether parliament will be able to process any legislative amendments before the 2019 elections. The constitutional review committee was initially scheduled to report to parliament by the end of September. However, the committee requested an extension, citing the volume of the submissions it had received.
Chairman Lewis Nzimande said the committee would hold further hearings on October 25 and 26 in parliament. These stemmed from 19 public requests to make oral submissions, and this number might increase. The list was still being finalised.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in September that he had appointed an advisory panel to guide the interministerial committee on land reform chaired by his deputy, David Mabuza. The panel was mandated to review, research and suggest models for the government to implement a fair and equitable land-reform process that redresses injustices of the past, increases agricultural output, promoted economic growth and protects food security, Ramaphosa said.
Meanwhile, the constitutional review committee elected Stanford Maila as acting co-chair on Thursday. This came after embattled ANC MP Vincent Smith asked to be allowed to step aside from heading up any parliamentary committee until the ethics committee finished its investigation into allegations that he received monthly payments from controversial facility management group Bosas a.